Tents have probably been used for shelter ever since animal skins became available for coverings. Many types and styles have been developed over the years from the compact mountain tents of backpackers to the huge enclosures used by circuses. Wall tents with straight relatively low sides and gable tops have been widely used for military and camping purposes. These have a ridgepole running the entire length supported by upright poles at each end. Similarly, pyramid-style tents have had wide military use. These are generally round with conical tops. They have a center pole and are stabilized by multiple guys on the outside. Pyramids are sized to hold from a few people up to a large number. Modified small wall tents or A-types are widely used by campers for light duty and may hold one to four people. These may have either internal or external support systems, the latter now being more common. Dome types with external support means are also popular for light camping since they offer a bit more usable floor space and headroom than the A-types.
One problem with most of the above tents, except for the very large ones, is restricted headroom. Even in the wall tents or pyramids, one can often stand erect only in the central location. This problem was partially solved by development of the so-called umbrella types. Originally these were supported by a center pole with radially extending spokes extending to the junction of the top and sidewall portions. Sidewalls were nearly vertical and the top was a low angle four-sided pyramid. Later, external supports were developed to eliminate the center pole. Some umbrellas are supplied with side rooms that require additional poles for support. The umbrellas are very popular for family camping since they are relatively easy to erect and have good headroom over most of the floor area.
One would think that tent development would have reached maturity many years ago but this is certainly not the case. A brief look at the patent literature and outdoor catalogs shows continuous development from early days to the present. One problem has remained constant—that of having a high ratio of headroom space to the total floor area. This is coupled with the need for ease and simplicity of erection along with minimum weight. The tent of the present invention serves those needs exceptionally well.
Among the prior known tents that are related to the present invention can be mentioned Doane, U.S. Pat. No. 214,996, which is an example of a large pyramidal tent with side walls. Eddy, in U.S. Pat. No. 2,236,677, shows a similar tent but one that has a peripheral frame supporting the juncture between the walls and top portions.
Recent U.S. Pat. No. 6,250,322 to Porter shows a circular umbrella-type having a conventional center pole with spokes connected to a peripheral roof ring located at the juncture between the top and side walls. The center pole is permanently anchored to the ground.
An early patent to Leavitt, U.S. Pat. No. 172,882 shows a tent that may be of circular, square, or oval configuration. This has a center pole and a rigid metal reinforcing ring at the periphery where the top and side walls are joined. The reinforcing ring may optionally be connected to the center pole by radial spokes. It is held to the roof/sidewall junction by twine or wire ties. A somewhat later patent to Smith, U.S. Pat. No. 1,409,316, shows a beach cabana in which the support is a center pole with a ring formed from a plurality of flexible sections at the top-sidewall juncture. This ring is also held in place by a series of internal tabs. Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 1,581,331 to Smith describes a larger tent of circular cross section using a center pole and a series of flexible jointed supporting rods located as a ring around the top-sidewall juncture. Once again, this ring is held in place by a plurality of supporting flaps or tabs which must be individually fastened.
The present invention is of the general type of construction as that shown in the last three patents noted above but represents a significant improvement in simplicity, stability, ease of erection, and compactness when stored.